Post by Vindi (Russell) on Mar 11, 2016 22:43:17 GMT

Bit of background first, I bought an aluminium offset style bar a long time ago ... loved the style, but didn't like the idea of something looking like a Roll Bar but being effectively made of cheese. Roll on several years and in a bored moment, I got a proper one made. My idea was to tie it in to the chassis, make it from decent tubing and make sure it was as high up and as far away from my head as possible.

As with anything, it's a compromise. It's as high as it can be, but because I wanted it back behind my head so I couldn't hit it, I was instantly limiting where it could be attached, and how high it could go under the slope of the hood.

I ended up attaching the main hoop to the seat belt tower, for several reasons. Firstly, it's designed to have the seat belts attached to it so is immensely strong and stiff. It allows the main hoop legs to go slightly further apart, and it also makes the legs shorter (and therefore lighter) because of starting higher up. I put a plate in behind the mount so the force is spread, and the mount is L shaped with three bolts per side, one on top (the seat belt bolt) and two on the side.

The main hoop is placed far enough across to allow the seatbelt to work properly. Seems basic, but quite a few bars I'd used forced the seat belt across to the side, preventing it from moving and retracting properly. I also added a bar across the bottom, partly to act as a stiffener, and partly to enable harnesses to be used

As I wanted it to do something more than just look pretty, I added a rear leg. It goes through the parcel shelf and mounts to the chassis next to the rear suspension mount, as far back and as far out to the side as I could get it. This has a reinforcing plate behind it as well, and there are bolts round the outside of the tube that sandwich the chassis floor. There is also a huge bolt that goes up from underneath and attaches into a captive nut welded into the centre of the tube, it goes through a hole that's already present in the car making it easy to locate.

The bars are made by a fabricator who earns his living making chassis and roll bars for a kit car manufacturer ... so this sort of stuff is easy for him! The bars are made from CDS tube, 42mm with a 3mm wall so plenty strong enough. All the mounting and backing plates are CNC cut and so on ... no corners have been cut!!

Post by Vindi (Russell) on Mar 11, 2016 22:43:29 GMT

Twin retro bar

Within hours of me posting pictures of the offset bar I'd made, Cerberus on the Phoenix Fives forum made a photoshop of a twin version ... until that point I hadn't thought it would look as nice, but within days the Retro Twin was a go!

Post by Vindi (Russell) on Apr 29, 2016 14:43:58 GMT

Hello Russell, quite hard to contact you. would it be possible to get retro twin bar? Are you shipping it in UK/EU? Is it possible to get other color?

Hi there,

How have you tried to contact me? Don't think I've missed any messages so let me know as there might be a problem somewhere I need to fix! Edit - just found a message on Nutz I'd not replied to, sorry!!

I can make you one no problem, shipping can be expensive though so let me know which country you need it sent to and I'll get a quote. I can do them in colours but it's often hard to get an exact matches. Let me know the colour and I'll see what the powder coaters can do. The other option is I can post it un coated and you can get it painted or powder coated at your end

Post by melx5 on Nov 1, 2017 8:56:09 GMT

I have a single sided retro bar which is touching the underside of my hardtop, squeaking, and annoying the hell out of me. The tops in for paint next week so if I'm to do anything with it I'd sooner sort it before rather than after. My question is will the offending panel mold itself around the bar in time or should I resort to cutting out a section of said panel.

If it gives I'll wrap some cloth around it so hopefully it will clear the bar when removed

Post by Vindi (Russell) on Nov 1, 2017 10:28:27 GMT

I have a single sided retro bar which is touching the underside of my hardtop, squeaking, and annoying the hell out of me. The tops in for paint next week so if I'm to do anything with it I'd sooner sort it before rather than after. My question is will the offending panel mold itself around the bar in time or should I resort to cutting out a section of said panel.

If it gives I'll wrap some cloth around it so hopefully it will clear the bar when removed

Some of the bars do catch on some hardtops, I'd probably cut a small section out to let it clear. It's not just the noise it makes, the bar is stopping the hardtop from sitting as low as it shoukdcbe, so it won't seal as well as it should. I'll have a dig around for some pictures but another owner covered the slot they cut with a piece of black vinyl. It neatens up the slot and stretches over the bar when in place

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